Python Arrays

Please note that Python does not have built-in support for arrays, but Python lists can be used instead.

Array

Arrays are used to store multiple values in a single variable:

Instance

Create an array containing car brands:

cars = ["Porsche", "Volvo", "BMW"]

Running instance

What is an array?

An array is a special variable that can contain multiple values at once.

If you have a list of items (such as, a list of car brands), storing the brand in a single variable may look like this:

car1 = "Porsche"
car2 = "Volvo"
car3 = "BMW"

But what if you want to traverse these brands and find a specific car brand? What if it's not 3 cars but 300 cars?

The solution is an array!

An array can save multiple values under a single name, and you can access these values by referencing the index number.

Access array elements

Reference array elements by index.

Instance

Get the value of the first array item:

x = cars[0]

Running instance

Instance

Modify the value of the first array item:

cars[0] = "Audi"

Running instance

Array length

Use len() Method to return the length of the array (the number of elements in the array).

Instance

Return the number of elements in the cars array:

x = len(cars)

Running instance

Note:The array length is always one more than the highest array index.

Loop through array elements

You can use for in Loop through all elements of the array.

Instance

Print each item in the cars array:

for x in cars:
  print(x)

Running instance

Add array elements

You can use append() The method adds an element to the array.

Instance

Add another element to the cars array:

cars.append("Audi")

Running instance

Delete array elements

You can use pop() The method removes elements from the array.

Instance

Delete the second element of the cars array:

cars.pop(1)

Running instance

You can also use remove() The method removes elements from the array.

Instance

Delete the element with the value "Volvo":

cars.remove("Volvo")

Running instance

Note:The list of remove() The method only deletes the first occurrence of the specified value.

Array Methods

Python provides a set of built-in methods that can be used on lists or arrays.

Method Description
append() Add an element at the end of the list
clear() Delete all elements in the list
copy() Return a copy of the list
count() Return the number of elements with specified values
extend() Add list elements (or any iterable elements) to the end of the current list
index() Return the index of the first element with specified values
insert() Add elements at specified positions
pop() Delete elements at specified positions
remove() Delete items with specified values
reverse() Reverse the order of the list
sort() Sort a list

Note:Python does not have built-in support for arrays, but can be used with Python lists instead.